Portuguese-Brazilian naturalist (1756-1815) whose epic journey through central Brazil established much of the topography of the Amazon basin.Born at Bahia, Ferreira was educated in Portugal. After taking his degrees from the University of Coimbra, he taught natural history until 1778 when he was called to Lisbon to work in the Museo da Ajuda. For the next five years he was involved in cataloguing the various specimens contained in the museum, and in the writing of learned monographs and reports. In recognition he was elected a corresponding member of the Academy of Sciences at Lisbon. The Portuguese government then commissioned him to undertake a journey of exploration into the interior of Brazil.
He sailed in 1783, and during the voyage from Lisbon to Belem prepared anatomical descriptions and painted water-colours of deep-water and coastal fish. He had with him the artists, Jose Joachim Freire and Joaquim Jose Codina, who between them produced 912 drawings and prints. After arriving on the Brazilian coast off the Ilha de Marajo, Ferreira travelled extensively in the coastal region of Para, reporting on the cultivation of sugar, cocoa, coffee and indigo. He took a number of short trips by canoe along the Rio Tocantins, then ascended the River Amazon and Rio Negro (winter 1784-85) as far as Barcelos. From Barcelos he explored the Rio Negro and its tributaries, visiting the fort of Sao Gabriel de Marabitanas (1785-86) before returning to Barcelos. In 1785-86 he investigated the Rio Icana and Rio Uaupes (on the Brazil-Colombia border).
On a second journey in 1786, he travelled by canoe and then overland to the Rio Branco, during which he visited its sources, the Rio Tacutu, Rio Surumu and Rio Uraricoera (close to the Guiana-Venezuela border). Back in Barcelos he collected specimens, wrote up his notes, and visited the forest Indians. In March 1787 he ascended the Rio Araca (a tributary of the Rio Negro opposite Barcelos) and travelled on the Rio Solimoes (the central section of the Amazon).
In August 1788 he left Barcelos, descended the Rio Negro and ascended the Rio Madeira. After investigating various tributaries and crossing numerous portages, he reached Vila Bela (= Porto Velho) in the Mato Grosso on 3 August 1788. This became his base for a further two years, during which he made several overland excursions and travelled by canoe on the Rio Guapore, Rio Cuiaba, and the upper reaches of the Rio Paraguay. In 1790-91 he visited the Rio Paraguay and Rio Jauru. He and his companions left Vila Bela on 3 October 1791 and arrived back in Belem three and a half months later.
From there he sailed for Lisbon, arriving in the early part of 1793, where he was awarded the honours due to him. He subsequently received various appointments, including the post of deputy-director of the Ajuda museum and director of the Gabinete de Historia Natural and of the Jardim Botanico. The gardens had been created for the specific purpose of studying tropical crops and agronomy, and under its auspices expeditions to Africa were sent out under Manuel Galvao da Silva and Joaquim Jose da Silva. The belief that the collections housed at the gardens were subsequently plundered by Etienne Geoffroy Saint-Hilaire in 1808 and shipped to the Musée d'Histoire Naturelle in Paris, is now regarded as incorrect. Ferreira died at Lisbon in 1815. His writings and collections, along with the illustrations of his artists, lay largely unpublished in the libraries of Brazil and Portugal until their rediscovery in recent years.
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The material on this page was created by Ray Howgego, and publication was allowed by him to Discoverers Web. This page is an excerpt from a large amount of material that Ray has compiled, concerning voyages of discovery before 1800. He would like to have this work published, any publisher who is interested can contact him through email.